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The Journal of Neuroscience, June 15, 2000, 20(12):4423-4434
Prolonged Synaptic Currents and Glutamate Spillover at the
Parallel Fiber to Stellate Cell Synapse
Adam G.
Carter and
Wade G.
Regehr
Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston,
Massachusetts 02115
Although neurons often fire in bursts, most of what is known about
glutamate signaling and postsynaptic receptor activation is based on
experiments using single stimuli. Here we examine the activation of
ionotropic glutamate receptors by bursts at the parallel fiber to
stellate cell synapse. We show that brief stimulus trains generate
prolonged AMPA receptor (AMPAR)- and NMDA receptor
(NMDAR)-mediated EPSCs recorded in whole-cell voltage clamp. These
EPSCs contrast with the rapid AMPAR-mediated EPSC evoked by a single
stimulus. The prolonged AMPAR-mediated EPSC is promoted by
high-frequency and high-intensity trains and can persist for hundreds
of milliseconds. This EPSC is also increased by
L-trans-2,4-PDC, an inhibitor of glutamate
transporters, suggesting that these transporters usually limit the
synaptic response to trains. These prolonged EPSCs reflect both
receptor properties and a long-lasting glutamate signal. In addition,
several experiments demonstrate that glutamate spillover can contribute
to receptor activation. First, imaging stimulus-evoked changes in
presynaptic calcium establishes that distinct parallel fiber bands can
be activated. Second, activation of parallel fibers that do not
directly synapse onto a given stellate cell can evoke indirect AMPAR-
and NMDAR-mediated EPSCs in that cell. Third, experiments using the use-dependent NMDAR blocker MK-801 show that these indirect EPSCs reflect glutamate spillover in response to trains. Together, these findings indicate that stimulus trains can generate a sustained and
widespread glutamate signal that can in turn evoke large and prolonged
EPSCs mediated by ionotropic glutamate receptors. These synaptic
properties may have important functional consequences for stellate cell firing.
Key words:
granule cell; parallel fiber; stellate cell; cerebellum; AMPA receptor; NMDA receptor; glutamate; transporter; spillover
Copyright © 2000 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/00/20124423-12$05.00/0
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